Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee is a 2012 nature documentary film about a young common chimpanzee named Oscar who finds himself alone in the African forests until he is adopted by another chimpanzee who takes him in and raises him like his own child. The U.S. release of the film is narrated by Tim Allen. The film was released by Disneynature and directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. It is the sixth film produced by the Disneynature label, following Earth, The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, Oceans, African Cats and Wings of Life, and was released in theaters on April 20, 2012 just before Earth Day, April 22. Plot Oscar is the nickname given by Tim Allen (the narrator) to a young chimpanzee in his toddler years. He is part of a close-knit tribe of Chimpanzees. They occupy a forest territory which is rich in native fruits, nuts, and figs, among other things. The chimps hunt small tree monkeys, and they also eat termites collected with primitive tools made from sticks. They also use rocks as tools to crack nuts. Oscar is tended by his mother, nicknamed Isha, and from her he begins learning many things about how to survive in the jungle. In the chaos of an attempted raid by a rival gang of chimpanzees, led by 'Scar', Isha is injured and separated from the group and her son. As told by Tim Allen, Isha is most probably the victim of a nocturnal leopard. Unaware of his mother's death, Oscar spends much of his time looking for her. He finds trouble in recalling the things she taught him and begins to lose weight quickly. He attempts to find another mother to take care of him; however, none of the females can afford him, having young of their own to raise. As time goes on, Oscar is rejected by nearly every chimp in the group, until the only one left to ask is the tough-skinned leader, Freddy. However, as Oscar follows the leader and imitates him, it is soon revealed that the unlikely duo may work out. The two gradually warm up to each other more and more, until one day Freddy lets Oscar ride on his back, something normally only mother chimps do. Genetic testing showed that Freddy was not related to Oscar. As the rivals prepare for attack, Freddy is forced to take time away from Oscar to organize the other members of the group, and this leaves the young chimp confused. Scar leads a vicious attack, but because of the unity of Freddy's group they are driven away into the jungle. A few months later, it is revealed that the bond between Freddy and Oscar has continued to grow, and that life in the group is slowly returning to normal. Production The film took over four years to create, due to the difficulties of filming in Taï National Park during the wet season and capturing usable footage of common chimpanzees, a species that is known to act reclusive to human activity. Although studies suggest that chimpanzees are capable of committing acts of altruism, Oscar's adoption is the first instance of such an action by the species to be documented on film. External links * Category:Films Category:2012 release Category:Documentary films